Chrysanthemum plant named `Harvest Time`

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum named Harvest Time characterized by its anemone-type inflorescences; bright yellow-colored ray florets; mature disc florets that are darker yellow than the ray floret color; flowering response of 56 days; large leaves; a freely branching and spreading plant habit; and good postproduction longevity with ray florets that do not fade and maintain good substance.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Harvest Time.

The new cultivar was developed by me in, Havant, Hampshire, UnitedKingdom, through controlled breeding by crossing the Chrysanthemumseedling selection P22-89 as the female parent with the Chrysanthemumseedling selection P6-89 as the male parent. The cultivar Harvest Timediffers from its parent cultivars in leaf size, ray floret color, andplant vigor. Plants of selection P22-89 have larger leaves and the rayflorets are lighter in color than plants of the cultivar Harvest Time.Plants of selection P6-89 have ray florets that are pink in color andare less vigorous than plants of the cultivar Harvest Time. Bothselections were developed by me in Havant in a controlled breedingprogram and used only as breeding parents.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken byme in Havant has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and are reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and aredetermined to be basic characteristics of Harvest Time, which incombination distinguish this Chrysanthemum from both its parentvarieties and other cultivated Chrysanthemums of this type as a new anddistinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Anemone-type inflorescences.

3. Ray florets that are bright yellow in color.

4. Mature disc florets that are darker yellow than mature ray florets.

5. Flowering response of 56 days from start of long nyctoperiods.

6. Large leaves that are 8.3 cm in length and 4.2 cm in width.

7. A freely branching and spreading plant habit.

8. Good postproduction longevity with ray florets that do not fade andmaintain good substance.

Harvest Time is similar to the commercial Chrysanthemum cultivar Forge(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,470) in inflorescence form and ray floret color,however in side-by-side comparisons Harvest Time plants differ fromplants of the cultivar Forge in the following characteristics:

1. Plant height: Plants of the cultivar Harvest Time are taller thanplants of the cultivar Forge since plants of the cultivar Harvest Timehave longer lateral branches compared to plants of the cultivar Forge.

2. Growth rate: Growth rate and vigor of plants of the cultivar HarvestTime is greater than growth rate and vigor of plants of the cultivarForge.

3. Quantity of leaves: Plants of the cultivar Harvest Time have fewerleaves per lateral stem than plants of the cultivar Forge.

4. Leaf size: Plants of the cultivar Harvest Time have longer andbroader leaves than plants of the cultivar Forge.

5. Inflorescence size: Inflorescences of the cultivar Harvest Time arelarger in diameter than inflorescences of the cultivar Forge.

6. Quantity of ray florets: Inflorescences of the cultivar Harvest Timehave fewer ray florets than inflorescences of the cultivar Forge.

7. Ray floret fading: Ray florets of inflorescences of the cultivarHarvest Time do not fade in color whereas ray florets of inflorescencesof the cultivar Forge do fade.

8. Quantity of disc florets: Inflorescences of the cultivar Harvest Timehave more disc florets than inflorescences of the cultivar Forge.

9. Disc floret color: Mature disc florets of inflorescences of thecultivar Harvest Time are darker than the ray florets. Mature discflorets of inflorescences of the cultivar Forge are the same color asthe ray florets.

A detailed comparison of the differences between the cultivars HarvestTime and Forge appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph (FIG. 1) illustrates the overallappearance and inflorescence color of the new cultivar, showing thecolors as true as it is reasonable possible to obtain in coloredreproductions of this type. The photograph is a top view of a plant ofthe cultivar Harvest Time grown as a potted Chrysanthemum with fiveplants in a 16.5-cm clay pot.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT

The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength. Thefollowing observations and measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard,Calif., under commercial greenhouse conditions with average daytemperatures ranging from 26° to 32° C. and average night temperaturesranging from 18° to 20° C. Color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. Numerical measurementsrepresent averages of measurements taken on five plants.

Classification:

A. Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Harvest Time.

B. Common.--Chrysanthemum.

C. Commercial use.--Potted plant.

Parentage:

Female parent.--Chrysanthemum seedling selection P22-89.

Male parent.--Chrysanthemum seedling selection P6-89.

Propagation:

A. Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

B. Time to initiate roots.--7 to 10 days at soil temperatures of 22° C.

C. Rooting habit.--Fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

A. General appearance.--Perennial herbaceous flowering potted plant,upright and well-branched.

B. Growth rate.--Vigorous.

C. Plant height.--About 25 cm.

D. Lateral branch length.--About 18.9 cm.

E. Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About5.

F. Stem color.--147B.

G. Foliage description.--1. Number of leaves per lateral branch: about13. 2. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. 3. Leaf shape and margin: Palmatelylobed, pointed leaf apex and margin points. 4. Leaf size: a. Length:about 8.3 cm. b. Width: about 4.2 cm. 5. Leaf texture: Upper and undersides smooth and dull. Veins prominent on under side. Pubescence on bothsurfaces. 6. Young leaf color: a. Upper side: 147A. b. Under side: 147B.7. Fully expanded leaf color: a. Upper side: 147A. b. Under side: 147B.8. Petiole: a. Length: about 2 cm. b. Color: 147A. 9. Venation color: a.Upper side: 147B. b. Under side: 147B.

Flowering description:

A. Inflorescence.--Anemone-type inflorescence form. Florets arrangedacropetally on a domed capitulum.

B. Natural flowering season.--Flowering occurs under lengtheningnyctoperiods (at least 13 hours of darkness).

C. Time to flower.--Inflorescences are fully opened after 8 weeks oflong nyctoperiods (15 hours of darkness).

D. Quantity of inflorescences.--After removal of the apical meristem,about 5 lateral breaks are formed per plant; each lateral stem developsabout 6 inflorescences: usually about 30 inflorescences per plant.

E. Ray florets.--1. Appearance: Satiny. 2. Texture: Glabrous, smooth. 3.Shape: Broad, oblanceolate with rounded apex. 4. Aspect: Slightlyconvex. 5. Margin: Entire. 6. Tip: Rounded. 7. Length: about 2.5 cm. 8.Width: about 1.1 cm. 9. Color: a. When opening, upper side: 14B. b. Whenopening, under side: 14C. c. Mature, upper side: 9A. d. Mature, underside: 9C. e. Fading to: 9A. 10. Number of ray florets per inflorescence:about 22. 11. Size of inflorescence: a. Diameter: about 5.9 cm. b.Height: about 1.5 cm.

F. Disc florets.--1. Shape: Tubular. 2. Length: about 10 mm. 3. Width:about 3 mm. 4. Color: a. Immature: 154A. b. Mature: 14A. 5. Number ofdisc florets per inflorescence: about 197. 6. Diameter of disc: about2.8 cm.

G. Reproductive organs.--Androecium present on disc florets only andgynoecium present on both ray and disc florets. Anther color, 2A,moderate pollen, 2A in color.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date onplants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed development: Development of seed on inflorescenes has not beenobserved.

    ______________________________________                                        CHART A                                                                       Characteristic   Harvest Time Forge                                           ______________________________________                                        Plant height     25 cm        18 cm                                           Lateral branch length                                                                          18.9 cm      13.9 cm                                         Growth rate, vigor                                                                             high         low                                             Quantity of leaves per                                                                         13           15                                              lateral branch                                                                Leaf length      8.3 cm       5.6 cm                                          Leaf width       4.2 cm       3.6 cm                                          Inflorescence size                                                                             5.9 cm       5.2 cm                                          (diameter)                                                                    Quantity of ray florets                                                                        22           36                                              Ray floret color, faded                                                                        9A           9B                                              Quantity of disc florets                                                                       197          163                                             Mature disc floret color                                                                       14A          9A                                              ______________________________________                                    

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Harvest Time substantially as herein illustrated and described. 